The Black Parade
by Poplarmonster
Summary: AU A string of bad luck leaves Naruto and Sakura in the hands of vampires. Now Naruto must learn to cope with death and what's beyond it in a world where monsters lurk and a single misstep can turn you into dust. Eventual SasuNaru
1. It's Too Late

**Chapter 1: It's Too Late**

_Ride on, ride till early morning sun_

_Ride on, like the dawning of the day_

_It's too late, to let all your feelings show_

_Go on, til the night is swept away_

"_It's Too Late" -Evermore_

A raging wind tearing through the open rafters of the barn woke one of the two occupants huddled close together under a pile of hay that was rapidly shrinking. A boy with golden hair popped his out from underneath the pile and was immediately soaked. He cursed the barn for losing its roof and the weather for being so unpleasant. He pulled his head back under and desperately tried to fall asleep again, hoping that maybe the storm would pass while they were asleep.

The pink haired girl stirred beside him, and opened two impossibly green eyes and stared at his blue ones.

"Naruto, how long have we been here?" she asked sleepily as she began to sit up. He immediately pulled her back down

"Don't sit up, we'll both get soaked. And, Sakura, I really don't know. It seems like it could be much shorter than it seems, but I dunno. Man I would kill for a nice warm bowl of ramen right now," Naruto said loudly, but his voice was barely heard above the howling wind.

Sakura snorted. It was just like Naruto to only think of ramen in a situation such as this one, stuck in what could almost be a hurricane still days away from-

"Naruto! We're going to be late," she shrieked, her eyes widening in fear. Within seconds, his eyes widened the same amount and were filled with the same fear.

"But we can't be late! We left enough time to get there with a few days to spare!" he said, panicking.

"Maybe, but I'd feel better if we left now," she replied, seeming to calm down. Deep inside, however, she was panicking.

"Sakura, we can't. We'd be blown away by the wind and we'd never get there," he whispered, his voice barely audible above the wind. Naruto wasn't sure if there was actual truth in his words, but the wind sounded angry and it really wasn't a good idea to mess with it.

She nodded silently and curled up next to him, obviously hoping to get back to sleep so she would be able to move quickly when the time. Naruto looked at her pathetic form and cursed the stupid people who had agreed to this stupid treaty. It would be so much easier to send the criminals directly to the vampires instead of this whole hunting thing.

Although, he mused, it wouldn't be as much fun for the vampires. All animals loved the thrill of the chase right? Well, the vampires weren't exactly animals. Most of them were, but not all.

When he was younger, Naruto was sort of friends with a vampire. Because he lived in the Borderlands, vampires were allowed to come and go as they pleased as long as they didn't kill anybody. It was part of a treaty written nearly a hundred years before, but the same vampires who signed it were probably still around.

Naruto had been very small; it was just when he arrived in the Borderlands, and so he still hadn't figured out where all the good playing spots were. He was following a trail that was barely visible when he happened on an open field. It was beautiful with tall golden stalks of grass swaying in the wind, which was gently humming.

Even as a boy Naruto loved listening to the wind. It always had something to say if you listened properly.

So as Naruto starting prancing around this field, he felt no sense of impending doom, as one would often feel when a vampire was nearby. It was when he tripped over something and burned his hand as it came into contact with burning skin. The vampire he had tripped over looked surprised, as Naruto had smacked him in the head with the side of his hand.

It wasn't well known, but a vampire's skin would become very hot in direct sunlight and when Naruto's hand grazed the vampire's forehead, it was burned. It would have been okay if he had hit the mask the vampire was wearing, but luck had never been on Naruto's side.

After a few seconds, the dark haired vampire blinked and started up at this new development, sighed, muttered something inaudible, and turned his eyes back to the sky, watching fluffy white clouds pass overhead. It was there the sort of half friendship began; one that Naruto had trouble remembering. But he did remember everything the vampire told him, although it wasn't much.

A loud whipping noise broke him out of his reverie, signaling that the roof had finally been ripped off. Strangely enough, the pile of hay covering them was undisturbed. Naruto closed his eyes and concentrated on the wind whirling past and felt…nothing. It was the first time that he couldn't feel the wind at all.

And that seriously scared him.

He had been alone for most of his life, without a real friend. The wind whizzing past him chortling about things he didn't understand was definitely a reassurance that perhaps one day he would be happy. Naruto assumed that since he couldn't hear the wind that maybe things were changing. If this storm kept up, probably for the worse. Naruto closed his eyes and focused on a bright sunny day where he was surrounded by bowls of ramen with a faceless person laughing beside him, eating with him. Hopefully this dream would be able to hold him over until the storm passed.

Naruto was surprised that he had actually managed to fall back asleep with that storm going on. When he woke up, all traces of the storm vanished, leaving him with a clear blue sky, one that can only be seen after a large storm.

He turned and bent down to wake up Sakura. He was actually glad he was able to sleep, it replenished his energy, which would hopefully allow them to move quickly and maybe, just maybe, they would make it in time.

"Sakura, c'mon we need to get going," he whispered as he shook her. She moaned slightly and then snapped upright.

"Naruto! Why didn't you wake me sooner? We could have already been moving!" Sakura huffed as she pulled herself to her feet. She glared at him, grabbed her pack and set off only to realize that the door wasn't where it was supposed to be. Sometime during the storm it had been ripped off and now a rather large tree sat there. "Um, where is the door?" she asked rather dumbly.

"I think it got blown off."

"No kidding. But if a tree that large landed there, how are we alive?"

"No idea," Naruto said, not really having any clue as to their survival. From the look of the hay they were lying in, the wind had passed them over. "But I think we should figure a way out of here so we can get moving as soon as possible."

Sakura nodded and they made their way carefully through the rubble that was once the barn. It was around lunch time by the time they were able to get out, but they did not stop for lunch. Naruto figured going a few days without food wouldn't hurt and if they did get caught, then it really wouldn't matter if they were hungry or not. Pretty soon they were off at a quick pace, trying desperately to make up for lost time.

The sun was starting to descend into the horizon when they arrived at one of the larger towns in the area. It wasn't as large as the Konoha fortress, but it was still important. On a regular day, the roads would be bustling with traffic as people from nearby villages would be coming to sell their goods in the marketplace. Often people had to set up along the sides of the road because of the lack of space in the center.

Naruto had visited the city once when he was younger with Iruka. His 9-year-old eyes had trouble taking in all of action and he had a sore neck the next day because he whipped his head around so much.

But now it was empty. Naruto imagined those ghost towns of the stories Iruka used to tell him would look a lot like this one. The streets were silent and empty, and the wind whistled hauntingly as it whipped past the empty buildings. Naruto closed his eyes to hear what it was saying but was troubled when he all he heard was whooshing.

"Naruto, this place is creepy," Sakura's voice echoed of the sides of the building. "And if this is Yonoka, then we're still two days away."

"Maybe if we hurry we can make it. The gates are usually open right?" Naruto asked. It was common practice for the Fortresses to leave their gates open for those poor unfortunate souls that happened to be late.

"No this year that changed. Didn't you right the sign? The central government decided that too many criminals were escaping."

"Bastards. That doesn't even make sense! It takes at least a week of travel from the areas they release the criminals in! The vampires would have already gotten to them by then," Naruto reasoned. Out of all the days in the year, this one was the worst simply because of those damn vampires.

It was in a treaty that on one specific day in the year vampires were allowed to roam free in the borderlands and take whatever humans were around back to their country to presumably kill. The vampires demanded a specific number of people each year and the central government filled this number with criminals from jails.

It was a known fact, however, that if a city wasn't meeting its quota it would often prey on the innocent, taking people off the streets and sending them to their deaths. The government wasn't all that popular, but this was what kept the vampires at bay so it was justified.

'And now they've gone further,' Naruto thought angrily. By closing the gates, they obviously hoped that there would be enough people like Naruto and Sakura so make up for their lack of people to give.

"Well we'd better pick up the pace then if we don't want to die."

Sakura had a point so they made their way through the city. Naruto had never realized how simple the design of the town was. Any other time he would have stopped and thought about for a while. It always took him a little longer than others to grasp certain subjects, although if he was determined enough, he could keep up.

They were almost to the edge of Yonoka when they heard a wrinkly old voice speak out.

"No what are two young things like you doing out here so late?" They turned in shock only to see an old woman, wrinkles lining her face and white hair whirling upwards in soft tufts. "It's tomorrow you know."

Naruto's eyes widened. That meant they had the rest of that afternoon and the entire night to get what would normally take two days moving at a quick pace.

"Sorry, old lady, but if that's the case then we have to get moving! Bye!" he called as he grabbed Sakura and almost started running out of the city.

"Wait, Naruto! What about that old lady?! Won't she die?" Sakura called as he dragged her along.

"No she'll be fine. Vampires don't like old people."

"How do you know?" she demanded.

"I just do." Sakura had finally caught up to him and they started jogging, trees surrounding them the instant they left the ghost city. Naruto knew this from the lazy vampire who sat around all day because he had once complained about how Naruto smelled like "one of those nasty old rotten blood sacks that are way past their expiration date."

Sakura said no more as they continued running.

Running.

Running.

Running.

Time seemed to slip past in a quick sort of slowness as Naruto seemingly lost touch with himself. It was almost as if he had been separated from his body and was just watching time fly by, the inevitable countdown coming to an abrupt end. He was so lost in his twisted thoughts that he didn't hear Sakura until she grabbed his sleeve.

"Naruto," pant, "I…don't…think," pant, "I…can do…this any more," she gasped out. Naruto looked at her and then looked through the trees at the sky, a fading red that signaled sunset.

"Get on my back." His response was short and to the point, which was so unlike him. She only nodded, too worn out to say much else, and climbed onto his back. He adjusted her slightly before beginning to run again. Running…

He was running, running for his life, for her life, running out of time, running out of everything…

**Hey! Thanks for reading this chapter and welcome to Black Parade. This fan fic will have vampires in it (gotta love the vampires) as well as slash (boyxboy). It won't be emphasized, since this is more of an adventure story than a romantic one, but it will be there. Anyway, review! I'll try to get the next chapter up soon, and if you have any questions, leave a review! Anyway thanks for your time and PLEASE REVIEW!**


	2. Oblivion

**Chapter 2: Oblivion**

_The enemy arrives  
Escape into the night  
Everybody run now  
Everybody run now  
Break into another time  
This enemy alive  
Divinity defines  
Everybody run now_

"_Oblivion" – 30 Seconds to Mars_

Naruto had no idea how he had made it. With the sun barely hinting at rising over the horizon, he stared out at the hardly visible fortress of Konoha. He had run at full speed through the night, using energy he never knew he had. In fact it was almost as if a flood gate burst open, allowing waves of energy to wash over him. The strange detachedness he felt was probably a side effect, as well as the vague awareness that his body was well beyond its limit.

He took a step forward, and then another, the vibrations from his feet echoing off the cliff wall behind him. He hurried along down the path, anxious to get to the city. He wasn't sure if Sakura was right and they actually closed the gate, but he still wanted to make it before any vampires started lurking around.

In the five great fortresses never once had a door been closed. People came from all over to hide in them from the vampires and occasionally they didn't make it on time. This was especially the case with the older people, the ones that the vampires didn't simply avoid.

Naruto was jogging by the time he reached the city gate, a towering structure carved with the intricate designs of the flame. Konoha was the city of fire, although fire was nothing special in the city. It had been long ago though, and people often hard a hard time giving up on traditions, even if they were mere decorations.

A subtle movement next to him was all the warning a shadowed figure gave before crashing into him. Wind howled in his ears as he stumbled and almost dropped Sakura. The jolt woke her up, and he could feel her stirring slightly. A wave of panic swept over him. The vampires were not supposed to attack before dawn! And the sun was not visible, only a dim red was!

He whipped his head around, looking vainly for their attackers when three figures materialized on the street before him. He could barely make out that the one in the middle was a blonde woman, the one to the left was a rotund man with long hair, and the one to the right very nearly blended into the surroundings. The one on the right was also familiar, as if Naruto had met him before.

"Give us the girl and we'll let you go," the woman said confidently. A small breeze blew at him and something told him she was too confident. It clicked and he knew that they weren't going to let him go. They just wanted Sakura unhurt, and then they would kill him.

"No," he snarled, glancing to see if there were any escape routes. He started to panic inside when he saw there were none.

"Suit yourself. We'll just have to kill you," she said, smirking.

"You're going to do that anyway."

"Yes, but if you hand her over maybe you'll live longer."

Naruto considered this. They would probably haul him back to where ever they lived and keep him in a cage until they were hungry. Naruto pictured himself, a huddled figure just waiting to die. He would prefer to die a quick death, not wasting away wondering when death would come.

It hit him then that he was going to die. He was going to die. Time would cease for him as he would be enveloped in eternal darkness. Fear washed over him faster than a rushing river as his feet practically melded into the ground beneath him.

A smirk followed. "Ah so now the fear is finally setting in. Do you understand now boy? Hand the girl over and you can live a nice long life." The blonde's eyes seemed to taunt him, her face becoming lighter with each passing second. Dawn would make its grand entrance any moment. They were out of time.

He should just drop Sakura and make a run for it, although he doubted he could get that far…

But then a calming wave washed over him as he felt a gentle breeze at his back. It was barely enough to rustle his hair, but he felt the reassurance. He didn't know where the wind had gone, but now it was back and it filled him up, destroying the fear. It whispered to him, a sweet song that blocked everything out, that locked the fear up in a tiny box in the corner. Naruto closed his eyes and drowned in the bliss, but the box burst open and he realized that if he didn't act, the vampires would kill him. They wouldn't kill Sakura, they would make her one of them, just like that silver haired one did to Iruka.

He didn't ask the wind for help, though the predicament was communicated. When Naruto opened his eyes a giant gust of wind rose up behind him, blowing at his and Sakura's clothes, but pushing neither of them forward. The vampires were a different story however.

The blonde was immediately thrown back, tumbling along in circles. The large one was pushed back, and the familiar one disappeared, although Naruto somehow knew that he had simply wrapped himself in shadows to avoid the wind.

While the vampires were trying to defend themselves, Naruto took the opportunity to run. Energy filled him as he ran towards the center, blue eyes searching for the correct path leading to the fortress. If he had any more of these energy bursts, he would die, his body would be all used up, and all limits would be breached.

After turning several corners that all looked the same, he found himself staring at the large closed doors of the castle. He looked at them in shock, the decorative flames facing him, faded from so many days in the sun. Sakura finished waking up on and she opened her eyes and yawned loudly. She blinked and looked around, and he could feel her tensing when she saw the door.

"I was right. It was closed," she said almost in awe. Then tears filled her eyes. "Why do I always have to be right? Why can't I be wrong this time?!"

Naruto gently let her down on her feet, not knowing what to say to comfort her. Looking at the wall he noticed something about the houses around it. "Maybe we could go over the wall? Some of those houses are pretty tall and I'm sure we could make it."

"No," she said miserably, "It's already dawn, we don't have time."

"But we have to try. If we don't that'll just be giving up and that's just stupid!"

She smiled slightly. "How can you be so confident? We're probably going to die."

_Yes, but you'll live on after_. He knew that the vampires wouldn't just kill her. They wouldn't turn him though, no, they would just slaughter him. No, he shouldn't be thinking about himself, he should be trying to protect her. But, why? It wasn't like she would be gone forever, like he would be. And he was very afraid of that. Not dying, just simply fading away, like he never existed.

"Well?" He looked up into her eyes. She was excepting an answer, hoping for a reassurance that they weren't going to die.

"Do you want to die?"

"No."

"Then we need believe we'll live. If we lose sight of that, then isn't that the same as welcoming death?" his voice dropped to a whisper as a sort of distantness floated back in. When she didn't respond, he grabbed her hand and started walking to one of the alleyways. Maybe there was a small room they could hide in or something…

"Psst. Hey you," a soft voice came from the shadows. "Do you need somewhere to hide?"

Naruto whipped around, eyes scanning the streets, now visibly brightened by the early morning sun. He vaguely wondered no vampires had caught them yet. Sakura tensed up and gripped his arm. Perhaps they had finally caught up.

The girl stepped out into the light and Naruto somehow knew she was no vampire. His senses were dulled; surely they would sharpen if a vampire were near. Her face was a forgettable one, as well as her voice and when this was over and they were safe, he knew he wouldn't be able to remember her.

"Come this way, I'll bring to a place where you'll be safe." She beckoned with her hand and Naruto followed. Sakura, however, had other ideas.

"No! How do we know you're not a vampire?" she demanded fiercely.

"Sakura, she doesn't…feel…dangerous. She doesn't inspire that…fear…" Naruto trailed off, unsure if he knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Oh? You can tell?" the girl asked, curious. But then Naruto noticed her staring at his face as understanding lit up her eyes. "Oh, you're one of them." Her voice was almost hinting at disgust, but she motioned for them to follow.

"Naruto, are you sure we can trust her?" Sakura whispered urgently.

"I have no idea. But I do know she's not a vampire. So maybe she can help us…"

"Okay."

They followed her into the shadows, turning their backs on the rising sun.

­­­­

After navigating their way through several alleys, they entered the sewers and worked their way through numerous twisted turns until they arrived at a sort of underground town. The chamber was made out of entirely rock and there were many people, including hanging strings of lamps. There were also wooden carts, storing various things. It was bustling with people, although they all seemed to be hushed, as if trying to avoid speaking too loudly.

"Wow," Sakura whispered, "It's like a town. How can you stay safe here?"

"The sewer lines around here have been coated in garlic. It destroys a vampire's sense of smell, making it impossible to track us by scent. If they do happen to get close, we have a defense system," Nandi, the one who found them in the street, said. She grinned wolfishly and held up a bucket and Naruto's nose was filled with the scent of blood. He was still out of it, but the smell made his senses slightly sharpen, although not enough to rid him of the detached feeling.

"Blood?" he asked, confused as to why that could be used as a weapon against a vampire. He knew they hated blood from the elderly, but never thought it was possible for blood to actually be useful in defense.

"Yes. It's not a well known fact, but blood from a person about fourteen or younger actually harms a vampire. Apparently that blood is too fresh and it rots through their skin, turning everything to dust."

Sakura stared at the woman in horror and Naruto could understand why. A bucket that big would need a lot of blood-

"Oh don't worry. We didn't kill anyone or anything. We just take blood from anyone under fourteen we can find throughout the year. We then store it for ammo. The people who we take blood from aren't harmed or anything," she said reassuringly. Sakura seemed to relax at that and turned to speak to Naruto.

"Well I smell food so I'm going to go see if I can get some. I'll bring some to you," she said cheerfully. Naruto knew the change in her attitude was because they were finally safe.

He sat down on one of the crates nearby and took a deep breath. He was still out of it, so it took him a while to realize everyone was glancing at him, some even glaring. Naruto wondered why they were glaring, but decided to not think about it. He was tired and now that they were safe, he was going to get some rest.

He stood up and walked in the general direction Sakura went in and soon found himself in front of a large area with mats spread out. Around two thirds of the mats were full with sleeping people, so Naruto had a small selection of mats to choose from. He picked the closest and laid down, his eyes growing heavy. He realized how tired he really was and prepared to settle down into a nice long nap.

He woke suddenly and abruptly. He assumed it was the freaky feeling that woke him, and when he sat up he noticed several people eyeing him warily. He eyes them warily back and stood up. Apparently it was too fast because he immediately felt dizzy, although the smoky smell might have been part of the reason as well.

After the dizziness faded, he closed his eyes and just relaxed. The detached feeling was still there, although it was less evident than before. He supposed he would recover with time and plenty of sleep. He knew he should probably get some food, so he decided to head over in that general direction.

It was unnerving how everyone kept glancing at him like he was a creature that they were wary of. He spotted Nandi and wondered is he might know where Sakura was. She probably would know what time it was as well. At that point he really felt the need to return home. But strangely, when he thought of home, he drew a blank, as if he didn't remember what home actually was.

"Hey Nandi," he asked when he was close enough to her, "What time is it and why is everyone staring at me?"

She almost smiled and Naruto noticed that same look in her eyes as all the rest. "It's around sunset. Though the worst is yet to come, I fear."

She stared off in the direction of the closest entrance and was silent for a few moments before speaking again. "Vampires hunt at night, making this night the most dangerous. As to the stares, you really don't know, do you?"

Naruto shook his head. He vaguely remembered Iruka telling him something about his family, but he wasn't quite sure.

"Those scars on your cheeks mark you as one of the Uzumaki Clan. They were a family of vampire hunters and devoted all their time to destroying them. In fact it was this enormous hate that led to the last big war. But it's strange to see you here, as one of them, because they were-"

But Naruto didn't hear the rest of her speech. It was as if someone had suddenly flicked a switch within him. The world became bolder and more defined as his senses quickly sharpened. A sour smell wafted into his nostrils and the shadows became more prominent. But he visibly paled at the feeling that had caused this sharpening.

It felt as though the essence of fire itself was moving towards him. The burning blaze in the back of his mind was shooting towards the front, threatening to harm everything close. It was a terrifying feeling and he knew then that he needed to get out of there. He needed-

"Are you okay?" Nandi asked, noticing his paleness.

"It's coming," he whispered, "The fire is coming. We need to get out of here! He's too strong for you! We need to run!" With every word the panic and volume of his voice increased, until he was practically shrieking.

"Who's coming?" Sakura asked as she walked over. She was calm, and it was obvious she thought that he was crazy.

"The fire is coming. He's coming from there," Naruto said as he pointed to the entrance on the other side of the cavern. As he pointed his finger, the entire side of that wall erupted in flames.

Naruto wasted no time in grabbing Sakura and running while everyone around them was still screaming. Blood pumped through his body as he felt something more than simply adrenaline propelling him forward.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed from behind him, "I can't keep up!"

Without pausing, he hoisted her up onto his back and started running faster. Within moments he was into the tunnels, desperately trying to escape the flames trailing after them.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that this was a futile attempt and they were going to get caught and probably go through things worse than death. He turned left when they arrived at an intersection and started scanning the ceilings for entryways into the world above.

Sakura was gripping his shoulders hard and he could tell she was terrified again. He continued running, but came to a screeching halt when he saw that the way ahead was blocked. They were cornered.

Sakura gave a squeak of fright and the fear in Naruto only increased. He turned and time seemed to slow as he came around, only to see the flames in all their glory trapping Sakura and him in. He could see the silhouette of a man, but the most striking feature was the glow of his red eyes. They were so hypnotizing.

Naruto snapped out of it when he realized the vampire had moved closer. His senses tingled as he felt the sudden shift in temperature. If he didn't do something quick it would be all over.

An idea suddenly hit him. Even though there was no wind to speak of, maybe he could create some of his own.

"Naruto," Sakura whispered fearfully. He ignored her and took in a deep breath and blew. The vampire simply smirked, as if to say, 'Idiot, something that weak will never work against me.'

But the vampire was given the shock of his unending death as suddenly the tunnel exploded in a gust of air. Naruto had succeeded in keeping the attacker off for at least the moment. He quickly jumped up the rubble to where a very large hole in the ceiling had formed. He slipped, however, but was able to launch Sakura off his back and onto the streets above. He gripped the edge of the road and slowly started to pull himself up.

Abruptly he felt a cold hand enclose around his ankle and start to pull him down.

"Sakura! Run! You need to get out of here!" he said, eyes wide as with each passing second he inched further away from her.

"I can't just leave you!" she screeched, horrified at the thought.

"Just GO!" he yelled at he lost his grip and fell quickly. A sharp and large pain made its presence known where his heart was.

Or used to be, he thought as he looked down only to find an arm sticking out of his chest. He looked up into those red eyes. He vaguely noticed that they weren't entirely red, and they in fact had three whirling black tomoe in each eye.

Naruto fell back as the man retracted his arm. As he fell to the ground below, he heard Sakura's scream.

He heard as it stopped.

He heard the sound of struggle.

He heard...nothing.

A hole. Pain. Each second more pumped out.

Everything fading.

Everything whizzing.

Everything becoming so fast yet so slow.

Regrets?

Memories?

Moments?

Ready...

Set...

**_Stop._**

**A/N: Okay! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I was distracted, although the lack of reviews didn't help. Please review! I just want to know if you think this is worth reading. Pretty please? With SasuNaru on top? Anywho, next chapter will be a barrage of flashbacks, starting from when Naruto was a munchkin all the way up until the beginning of the story. Sorry for any grammar mistakes, this is unbetaed. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Ciao! **


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